Police reforms may hamstring public safety

I’ve been in the public safety profession in one capacity or another, since the late 1970’s, and I have seen significant changes in the profession — some good and some not so much. However, recent events in Olympia and across the nation regarding “police reforms” has caused me to wonder where these reforms are going to lead us, particularly here in our hometown of Cheney.

Candidly, the recently enacted police reform measures in Washington have made it harder for good cops to do an already difficult job, and more complicated too. I have learned over the years, that police oversight and accountability are code words for assuming that ALL cops are guilty of some wrong-doing and these terms are then used to gain support for laws that, in the name of oversight and accountability, tend to hamstring law enforcement, by granting certain protections to those that prey on our communities.

With that in mind, many of the laws recently passed cause me to believe community-wide safety was not the overarching goal of our political leaders. These new laws might work in a clinical environment, but they are fraught with problems for those that are required to carry them out in the field and in real time. Examples include the elevation of reasonable suspicion to probable cause in order to stop and detain a person suspected of a crime, the elimination of using less-lethal shotgun beanbags, creating needless red-tape before deploying teargas, and the new vehicle pursuit requirements. These are but a few of the laws hastily enacted without critical thinking by all stakeholders. Do these laws make our communities safer; do they protect the victims of crime? Initially, I think not, but only time will tell.

Cheney police officers have a tradition of policing the “right way” and we have gained the community’s support and trust, by doing policing the right way. We are not going to sacrifice your confidence in us, no matter the obstacles thrown in our path. In the meantime, if you need us call us; we will not give up our service philosophy of “no call to small” due to poorly thought-out legislation as you matter to us.

John D. Hensley has been Cheney’s Police Chief since 2011.